London desk

Filed from the London desk — including multi-city pieces that also ran elsewhere.

Business · 1 October 2026

Goldman Bets Half a Billion on Quantum’s Tiny‑House Dream, City Still Uncertain

Iris Quay, London desk

Goldman Sachs has pledged up to £500m to SME housebuilder Quantum in a bid to keep the City’s housing ambitions afloat amid doubts over the government’s new‑homes target.

Business · 1 October 2026

Four‑Year‑Olds to Join the City: New Report Urges Early Career Lessons

Iris Quay, London desk

A new report insists primary‑school children should start learning about work at four, sparking a wave of proposals for crayon‑filled career kits and kindergarten job‑shadowing. The City’s own early‑career plan…

Sports · 1 October 2026

England Rest Archer, Recall Rashid and Curran – Crane Returns After Eight Years

Tom Wick, London desk

In the build‑up to the ODI tri‑series in Pakistan and Sri Lanka, England’s selectors have swapped Jofra Archer for a trio of spinners, including a comeback for Mason Crane after eight years away from the national…

Finance · 1 October 2026

Staggers in the Stiff: House Prices Sip a Half‑Litre of Growth

Iris Quay, London desk

UK house price growth has halved, slipping 0.2% in September as mortgage rates climb and the City’s bankers stare at charts as if they were fine art.

Technology · 1 October 2026

OpenAI Swaps Doomed Model for 'Dots': A Satellite Navigation System for Your Laptop

Tom Wick, London desk

OpenAI has traded a dangerous new model for a suite of mapping tools called 'dots,' following a last-minute safety panic, much to the delight of anyone who finds existential dread boring.

Science · 1 October 2026

Swiss Glacier Party Poops Out 20% of Ice in Five Years—A Cryogenic Crack‑Up

Tom Wick, London desk

Scientists have announced that Switzerland’s glaciers have shrunk by almost a fifth in five years, a loss that could melt tourism, time‑keeping and the very notion of alpine grandeur.

Finance · 1 October 2026

Half‑Price Haze: UK House Growth Slips to Half as Mortgages Take a Tumble

Iris Quay, London desk

Nationwide data shows a 50% cut in yearly house price growth amid rising mortgage rates, sending a chill through the Square Mile and a sigh from hopeful homeowners.

Entertainment · 1 October 2026

Oasis Block ‘Banter Tapes’ Auction, Claiming Even Their Feuds Are Too Priceless to Trade

Celia Marsh, London desk

Oasis have sued to halt an auction of more than £1 million worth of unreleased 90s recordings – live shows, rehearsals and sibling sparring – leaving the auction house to sip cold tea in disappointment.

Finance · 1 October 2026

Londoners Brace for £276 Rise in Energy Bills as Ministers Play Tug‑of‑War with Tariffs

Iris Quay, London desk

When the Treasury predicts a £276 jump in the average energy bill, ministers debate the nature of a targeted social tariff, leaving London’s most vulnerable in a chilly financial limbo while the City’s bankers model…